Interview with Navot Papushado (Director of "Rabies" & "Big Bad Wolf")

This month Horror Channel is showing the UK TV premiere of RABIES, the first slasher to come out of Israel, One of its directors, Navot Papushado (left), took time out to chat about this movie and its equally horrifying shocker Big Bad Wolves due to be released in the UK in January 2014.


RABIES is broadcast on Saturday Dec 28 at 10.50pm.

Q: Have you always been a big horror fan?

NP: Oh yes! We grew up in the 80s and watched everything that came out of the US . We grew up on Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and Wes Craven and John Carpenter, everything that came out of the US . Later on we discovered European and Korean cinema and obviously the Coen Brothers and Tarantino.

Q:: Did your classification system ever censor these films?

NP: No, actually the opposite. The Israeli censorship board don’t take any notice of horror films, for example Piranha 3D came out in Israel at the same time that Rabies did and we got rated 18 and above, whilst Piranha 3D for 14 and above. Kick Ass got 12 and above! I think it has to do with Israeli audiences not being that keen on horror films, even the big US horror films like Saw, Hostel and Paranormal Activity don’t do very well.

Q: Where did the idea for Rabies come from?

NP: We decided we wanted to get rid of the serial killer character and decided that we wanted to have all of the other characters kill each other, so there had to be more than the motive of running away from a serial killer so we had to write more complex characters therefore everyone would need a background story. Everyone would have a motivation to kill. The first story we wrote was the one about the Cop who always leaves messages for his wife who never answers and then he leaves this horrible one and then she answers (laughs) so we realised we had to write all the others to match that dramatic element and character development and that’s how Rabies was born.

Q: Did the script change much from the first draft to the shooting script?

NP: No, we pitched it to a couple of producers, we showed them the draft and they were like, “OK, let’s wait for Government funds” but we didn’t want to do that. Then we met a guy who said, “How much do you want?” and we said an amount and he said, “OK I’ll give you half!” Then he asked, “How many days do you need?” and so we told him at least 20 and he said, “I’ll give you 15!” We got the green light from that script and just went out and shot it.

Q: Was it a tough shoot?

NP: Yes and no. We didn’t realise it at the time that it was tough as it was our first feature even though we had done a few shorts before. But it was a shoestring budget and everyone on set was less experienced than us so we had to hide this from the actors!

Q: Did you have any actors in mind when writing the script?

NP: Yeah, a couple of them. Actually when we pitched we told the producer that we wanted all these actors and they pointed out that we didn’t have that kind of money and we told him not to worry and that we’d take care of that!

Q: Rabies has a very strong story, do you think that helped reach out to audiences?

NP: Thank you very much. One thing is we cast all A-list actors from Israel so it was like seeing Kate Blanchet or Tom Cruise in a horror movie so Rabies was kind of an event. It was more than a horror movie, everyone wanted to see their favourite actor get murdered, or something like that (laughs)

 Q: Do you think one of its greatest assets is that most of the effects are practical and old school?

NP: Yeah, even on Big Bad Wolves there is only one shot that lasts only three or four seconds that we had to use visual effects. We believe in getting everyone done on the set.

Q: What did the critics think of Rabies when it was released in Israel?

NP: I think they were split. The older critics didn’t quite get it. They also don’t like violent films so they don’t like Tarantino films or Korean films for example. The younger critics, and when I say younger I mean under 45, they all loved it and gave it 5 stars, they loved it. It was a critical success and a box office success. There was an older critic whom we admire, considered to be the most acclaimed critic in Israel who writes for a newspaper whose logo is, “A Newspaper for Thinking People”, and he loved it! It gained a cult status through VOD and DVD sales.

Q: If you had made Rabies before Big Bad Wolves would you have approached it differently.

NP: That’s a really tough question. Rabies is Rabies because of the time it was shot, because of the budget when it was shot and the ideas that we had at the time and our approach. Rabies was shot hand held in the woods because that is the genre. You have to shoot films and edit films to fit the genre so I’m really pleased with everything we did with Rabies.

Q: Would you make Rabies 2?

NP: Oh, maybe when I’m old and Rabies has gained such a cult status and they give me $10 million dollars and a budget for $100 million dollars (laughs).

Q: Are you pleased Rabies is being shown on the Horror Channel?

NP: Yeah, defiantly. We are huge fans of the UK . The UK has been so kind to us over he last couple of years starting from FrightFest from two years ago when they showed Rabies. You really can’t compete with the British audience. They are fanatics, they love horror films. The screening of Big Bad Wolves earlier this year in front of 1,300 people was incredible. We are extremely happy with what’s going on in the UK with our films. You guys seem to get us!

Q: So what are you working on at the moment?

NP: We are promoting Big Bad Wolves which is coming out in the UK in January and working on a couple of projects here in Israel that we are starting to push and also receiving a few scripts from the US. We are writing a spaghetti western that’s set in the early 40s and a few science fiction scripts.

Q: Navot Papushado, thank you very much.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

TV News: Horror Channel goes down under for season of outback slashers

Plus,  there are network premieres for Victor Salva’s box office smash JEEPERS CREEPERS, HALLOWEEN 2 and Steven Spielberg’s TV cult classic SOMETHING EVIL

Horror Channel presents an OZploitation season on Fridays @ 22:55 from Jan 4 2014, featuring a dark collection of the best of Australian contemporary horror, Grisly with a capital ‘G’.


Fri 3 Jan @ 22:55 – STORM WARNING (2007)
                                               
On a weekend boating trip a couple become lost in a heavy storm and end up in a desolate swamp. They come across a decrepit house and discover a large crop of marijuana, suggesting the owners might not welcome their accidental arrival.

Fri 10 Jan @ 22:55 – SAVAGES CROSSING (2011)

When a flood rages around them, a group of strangers are forced to take shelter in an outback roadhouse. But the danger lurking within is far greater than the threat from outside. As the water level rises, so does the tension, as the line between the hunter and the hunted starts to blur.

Fri 17 Jan @ 22:55 – ROAD TRAIN (2010)

Four young people are on a camping trip in the outback. Nina and Craig are enjoying a close relationship, but there's tension between Marcus, and Liz Out of the blue, the quartet find themselves menaced by a road train that runs them off the road.

Fri 24 Jan @ 22:55 – CRAWL (2011)

Claustrophobic heat and brooding tension seep from the screen in this chiller set in an unknown rural town. Seedy bar owner Slim Walding hires a mysterious Croatian hit man to murder a local garage owner. but the plan backfire when an innocent waitress becomes involved.

Fri 31 Jan @ 22:55 – WOLF CREEK (2005)

The Ozploitation season finishes with director Greg McLean’s much acclaimed debut feature – a pulsating, stomach-churning tale based on the true story of the ‘Back Packer Killer’ who held the outback in a grip of early 90s terror. Stars John Jarratt, Cassandra Macgraph and Kestie Morassi. Watch out for the sequel in 2014

Wed 22 Jan @ 16:00 –SOMETHING EVIL (1972)

Considered a cult TV classic, Spielberg showed early signs of his cinematic genius in this possession story of a married couple with two young children whose farmhouse turns out to be inhabited by demons. The oldest child becomes possessed and begins to torment his family and their friends. When the mother begins to sense that something may be wrong with her son, her husband and friends think she is going insane.

Sat 11 Jan @ 22:50 – JEEPERS CREEPERS (2001)

Writer/director Victor Salva came up trumps with this smash-hit teen-slasher flick, produced by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope studio. Trish and Darry are road tripping home from college across the U.S. After being menaced by a trucker, they see a man dumping a human body into a drainage pipe. Investigating, they become the intended prey of an indestructible, supernatural creature hell-bent on eating them.

Sat 25 Jan @ 22: 45 – HALLOWEEN 2 (1981)

Certainly gorier than the original, Halloween II is the second instalment in the Halloween series and is a sequel to Carpenter's Halloween, picking up where it had left off, set on the same night of Oct 31, 1978 as the seemingly unkillable Michael Myers continues to follow Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) to a nearby hospital while Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is still in pursuit of his patient.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

Interview with Stephen R. Coar by David Kempf

Stephen R. Coar has been a teller of stories all his life.

One of seven kids, he took to the dinner table spotlight most evenings, telling tale after tale.

As an adult he has been heavily involved in live theatre-acting, directing, and writing children's plays for the theatre he helped begin, the Ritz Theatre in Oaklyn-the most successful theatre in southern New Jersey.

A longtime member of the National Storytellers League and the New Jersey Storytellers League, he also volunteers a few hours each month to read some of his original short stories.

Interview with Stephen Coar

By David Kempf

Tell us how you became involved in the theater?

I have been involved in stage theatre from a very early age.  My high male soprano / tenor voice and some very basic dance training gained me entry into many lead roles in musicals all the way through my school years and later into community college and local theatres.  My natural flair for humor in all life’s conundrums brought work in straight comedies, too.


Please tell us why you decided to pursue writing novels at this point in your life?

I had always been a writer of one kind or another since my role of chief writer and editor of my monthly elementary school paper in Jacksonville, Florida.  I filled the same jobs at Holy Cross High School in Delran, NJ.  Due to my resume, the editors of a Jersey Shore paper where my family moved hired me.  For two years I wrote my own personal column for a weekly newspaper in Cape May Courthouse, NJ commenting on what my eyes and ears found were the little things that made the  town and the region so unique.
After a near fatal auto accident left me permanently disabled with a brain injury I was for the most part a stay at home dad, (but happy to be alive). Since I was alone with the house and my word processor and most of all ‘TIME’, the tiny, huge question I’d kept to myself for 15 years was suddenly front page center!
COULD I WRITE A BOOK???


How you ever written any short stories? 

Many and for many magazines over the decades, (and I even got paid). My 2nd book is actually an anthology of short shorts, 18 in all.


Tell us about your earliest inspirations.

My family of two brothers and four sisters, seven of us in all, made for a wondrous childhood. Yes, it was the 50’s and the 60’s and we were at times wacky and raucous, but because our parents grew up when they did there were standards. Mealtimes were at 7:30 am, and 6:00 pm during the school year. While we ate fresh made breakfasts mother somehow created seven brown bag lunches that went out the kitchen door clutched in our little fists on the way to the bus stop. The largest of all inspirations was my youth.

My second biggest influence was my 8th grade teacher, one Mrs. Haas. By that time I was 14 years old and thought I knew lots about the way things were.  Mrs. Haas set me and many, many others straight about that over her decades in a classroom.  With her soft spoken lessons she daily helped open the miracle of books to us as well as the miracles of the human heart. I shall never forget her.

How did you come up with the idea for THE DEADLY TRACK?

There is a very easy, exciting, and personal answer to that question! When my older brother Allen and I were invited in the early 1960s to spend a summer month on our Uncle Jerry’s farm in Pennsylvania, there was no question of us flying.  We lived in Jacksonville, Florida and were maybe nine and twelve years old. No, no!  It was decided that there was a much better and safer plan. (Uh oh.) We were too young to know where this was headed).  We were put on a train in downtown Jacksonville for a one stop only overnight ride to Philly’ 30th St. Station where we would be met by the open, waiting arms of our dear Grandmom and Aunt Annette.

As we boarded and took our seats our Dad brought the train’s head porter to us and in a very serious voice he told the man we were traveling alone and were his responsibility. He said he understood. Then he pulled the man close and over us. “Here is the plan for tomorrow morning,” Dad said. “You’re tickets say you are traveling to the North Philly Station. That’s the 2nd stop in Philadelphia.”  He glared at the porter for a nod. He nodded to us, saying, “Right, when I say Philadelphia the 2nd time that’s when it’s time for you to get off. And I’ll get you’ bags for you.”

To make a long train ride short, as they say, we rolled northward through the night. As the sun rose we went to the dining car and ate breakfast.  As that was digesting with us back in our seats, we noted our porter crossing down the aisle and announcing, “Next stop, Philadelphia / Camden.  Philadelphia / Camden next stop. Very few departed the train and off it went again. We were so excited we couldn’t speak, but we each pointed an index in the air and mouthed, “That’s one.”

Well, the rest is history, of course.  History even in the archives of the Philly FBI! The passing porter next yelled, “30th Street Station, Philadelphia.”

Well, we bounded out our seats, not waiting to be helped with our bags, and hopped off the train onto a very crowded and underground platform, nothing like the one from which we’d left. But there was even worse to confront. No Grandmom or Aunt Annette. We wandered up an escalator to behold a sight unlike any we’d ever imagined; the enormous domed interior ceiling of the station had to be close to the Vatican’s in our minds. But our awe was soon overtaken by our fear and worry.

Meanwhile, once the train was permanently stopped and emptied by authorities at North Philly Station and a full unsuccessful search could be made, someone had the bright idea that maybe we got off a stop early. It was probably no more than a few hours but it seemed a lifetime to two small brothers in a very large city.
I have never ridden on another train since!

But I have always been fascinated by them even so!


What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?

Some of my musical stage work, using mostly my natural acting and singing talents and only some dance instruction. I met my wife while performing in theatre. And of course, though it took some years due to my injuries, my two self-published books are right up there.


Name some of your favorite books. 

Lonesome Dove;  The Da Vinci Code;  The Road;  The Story of Edgar Sawtelle;  The Help;  Never Have Your Dog Stuffed; Angela’s Ashes; any fiction by James Lee Burke; The Source.


Name some of your favorite films. 

My Favorite Year; The Bucket List; Awakenings; Dave; Crazy Heart; Doubt; Witness; When Harry met Sally; Chicago.


Name some of your favorite plays. 

Agnes of God; Sleuth; J.B. by Archibald Macleish; The Foreigner; Noises Off; Les Miz; Sweeney Todd;  anything by Neil Simon; Crimes of the Heart.


Why do you think thriller movies and books remain popular?

Escapism, pure and simple.


What are your latest projects?

I am preparing an outline for a subtle political thriller. Think all lotteries in the world are universally banned……. Except one!  And it is run globally by only one enormous, gargantuan, conglomerate; larger than any combination of countries………. for it must be.
Details? Read the book.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

My Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, has been not only a strain on me but on every one of my friends, family, and associates for 20 years now.  The percentages of marriages that survive an injury such as mine, is only 5% to maybe 10%. I must keep busy to make myself seem useful to our home. I am a good house husband. Hey, I kill the bugs!!!

I find I can only manage to keep solid focus on my writing for spells of two hours.  Then I must take breaks. I admit to taking nearly two years to complete The Deadly Track, with one re-write and a full professional edit.

If you are in the US you can buy the book at the following link
http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Track-Ride-Against-Time/dp/1432795546

For those of you in the UK you can use the link below.

FILM NEWS: ( UK ) Drew Cullingham’s full-frontal apocalypse nightmare THE DEVIL’S BARGAIN gets download release

Unseen. Uncertified. Unmissable. Drew Cullingham (UMBRAGE: THE FIRST VAMPIRE, BLACK SMOKE RISING) has written and directed a savage, psychological portrait of love, lust and the end of the world, which will be available to watch from Mon Jan 17, 2014, via www.distrify.com and https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilsBargain for just £3.99.

It’s 1974 and Earth is about to be obliterated by a massive asteroid. Adi (Jonnie Hurn) and his young wife Ange (Chloe Farnworth), haunted by memories of the death of their son, journey to the idyllic rural setting where he was conceived, determined to shed clothes, inhibitions and psychological traumas before the planet is destroyed forever. But the arrival of Luca (Dan Burman), a charismatic and mysterious young photographer, turns what’s left of their world upside-down and the horror to come is of biblical proportions.

Cullingham told us: “It was made on a shoestring budget in twenty-four hours over
four days, using an experimental ‘pinhole’ technique to give it a unique look. Containing copious amounts of full frontal nudity, the mantra for this film has been: No money. No clothes. No fear”.

A Disparado and Monk3ys Ink Films production, written and directed by Drew Cullingham, produced by Drew Cullingham & Ian Manson, co-produced by  James Fisher & Andrew Mackay. Starring Jonnie Hurn, Chloe Farnworth & Dan Burman.

WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS FULL FRONTAL NUDITY

Film News ( UK ): Movie Mogul’s supernatural horror thriller THE SLEEPING ROOM goes into production

Production Company Movie Mogul (Panic Button, Shortcuts To Hell) announced today that shooting on supernatural thriller THE SLEEPING ROOM begins on Wed Dec 4, for a three-week shoot on location in Brighton .

Starring Leila Mimmock (Becoming Human), Joseph Beattie (Hex) and Julie Graham (Tower Block), this intense tale of Victorian revenge is written by Ross Jameson, Alex Chandon and John Shackleton and directed by Shackleton with Jake West directing the ’Mutoscope’ action sequences. Director of Photography is Simon Poulter, (Panic Button).

Set in present day Brighton, THE SLEEPING ROOM is the story of Blue (Leila Mimmock), a call girl who falls for a new client, Bill (Joseph Beattie) But the real attraction for Blue is Bill’s apartment and a mysterious room that seems to hold the key to the dark secrets of her family’s past – a room that is about to unleash terrible physical and supernatural forces. Nobody will escape unless a score for a heinous crime is settled.

The cast also includes David Sibley, Chris Waller, Christopher Adamson and Mike Altmann. A Movie Mogul production, it is produced by Gareth I Davies and John Shackleton. Production Designer is Lorna Gay Copp, Costume Designer is David Blight, Production Manager is Tansi Inayat. Editor is John Gillanders and Bang Post Production are handling picture and sound.

John Shackleton, said today: “Support for the film has been first rate and we are immensely proud to be surrounded by such a talented cast and crew, particularly given the huge budget restraints, which we are operating under. Brighton is proving to be not only a wonderfully cinematic place in which to shoot, but also a very accommodating town in which to house a production”.

THE SLEEPING ROOM is the first film to be crowd funded for equity over at  
https://www.seedrs.com/startups/the-sleeping-room

The Walking Dead 4x08 Promo "Too Far Gone" (HD) Mid-Season Finale

The Walking Dead 4x08 "Too Far Gone" (Mid-Season Finale) - After things begin to calm at the prison, Rick and the group face imminent danger.

UK TV premiere for RABIES, from BIG BAD WOLVES directors Ahron Keshales & Navat Papushado

Plus Horror Channel spreads a little evil on Christmas Day with the Network premiere of CHRISTMAS EVIL and there are network premieres for Bruce Campbell’s MY NAME IS BRUCE and Glenn McQuaid’s I SELL THE DEAD

Sat 28 Dec @ 22:50 – RABIES (2010)

In Israel ’s first slasher movie, a runaway adult brother and sister stumble into a trap set by a psycho killer in. His sister buried in the ground, the injured brother sets out to get help. What he finds instead is a group of sex-mad teenagers, two sleazy policemen and a forest ranger and his dog. Making great use of collective expectations of where a body count movie is supposed to go, and then not going there, this is as much a fresh vision of fright as a nuanced social and political commentary on Israel today. A big hit at FrightFest, the directors, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, went on to make the hugely successful BIG BAD WOLVES and have succeeded in revitalising Israel’s horror film industry.

 

Wed 25 Dec @ 22:50 – CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)

Widely recognized as the best of the Christmas horror efforts, Christmas Evil is the story of a toy-maker scarred as a boy when he learns that Santa is not real. Throughout his life, he tries to make the Christmas spirit a reality. He becomes obsessed with the behaviour of children and the quality of the toys he makes. When he is met with hypocrisy and cynicism, the resulting snap causes him to go on a yuletide killing spree

Fri 20 Dec @ 22:55 – MY NAME IS BRUCE (2007)

A comedy horror, directed, co-produced by and starring B-Movie cult actor Bruce Campbell, ‘My Name is Bruce’ is the heroic struggle of a small mining town in Oregon to rid itself of a vengeful monster. Guan-di (Jamie Peck), the Chinese god of war and protector of the dead, has been unleashed by cemetery desecrating teenagers to protect the graves of Chinese miners lost in a deadly cave-in of yesteryear.

Fri 27 Dec @ 22: 55 – I SELL THE DEAD (2008)

Director Glenn McQuaid’s brilliant homage to 60s Amicus anthologies and Hammer horror was a hit at Film4 FrightFest 18th century justice has finally caught up with two of the craftiest grave robbers in town. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, body snatcher Arthur Blake (LOST and LORD OF THE RINGS star Dominic Monaghan) tells his life story to Father Francis Duffy (HELLBOY’s Ron Perlman).

.

 

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138

www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

The Walking Dead 4x07 Sneak Peeks "Dead Weight"

The Walking Dead 4x07 "Dead Weight" - Something new unfolds at a camp outside the prison; the addition of new members may threaten peace.

Making Of The Walking Dead 4x06 "Live Bait"

Go behind the scenes with David Morrissey as he fights off walkers in the pit. in this Making of The Walking Dead 4x06 "Live Bait".

Interview with Dominic Brunt

Dominic Brunt (left) is probably best known as Paddy in the ever-popular EMMERDALE FARM but he is increasingly gaining a reputation as a first-class horror filmmaker, and on the eve of BEFORE DAWN receiving its network TV premiere on the Horror Channel, Brunt reveals how a row with his wife led to the making of the film, news on his next feature DELETED  and why he’s always been a massive horror fan.

BEFORE DAWN is broadcast on Saturday 23 Nov, 10.40pm


Q: What inspired you to make BEFORE DAWN?

DB: I have always been a massive horror fan and within the genre, I have always enjoyed a good zombie film the best. I co-run the Leeds Zombie Film Festival each April so this gives me an excellent excuse to watch many more. My wife however, really doesn’t fancy them much at all and always criticised my choice of viewing. She is much more interested in European cinema and in particular, French cinema.

Before Dawn was really born from a healthy row between the two of us as to how she would make a zombie film in the European style with detailed characters and a realistic, very British set up.

Q: BEFORE DAWN has been described as ‘horror with a heart’. What came first when you developed the story – the zombies or the relationship between you and your on-screen wife?

DB:  We were both fighting our own corner where the heart of the story is concerned. It was always going to be a zombie story but Jo was really insistent that we bring the characters back story and relationship to the fore. The film had to be intriguing from the start, before there was any sign of a threat.

Q: You cast your wife opposite you.  Does this mean BEFORE DAWN has an autobiographical thread running through it?

DB: Well, we played to our strengths and brought our own differences to our performances. I’m Northern, Jo is Southern. I’m from a working class background, Jo is from a middle class background. I think the fact that you have a male and a female together in a serious situation is grounds for enough tension and drama.

Q: Most people know you as veterinarian Paddy Kirk in ‘Emmerdale’. Does the horror genre give you a chance to express your darker side?

DB:  The horror genre has been a huge part of my life since I was 13. I could sit and quote every line from Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, The Exorcist etc and I still watch mostly horror films, classic and contemporary almost every night.  I like being scared and I like a good special effect. I really enjoy watching a situation played out to it’s worse case scenario.

Q: You followed BEFORE DAWN with a short called SHELL SHOCKED, both of which have been premiered at FrightFest. Did you have a good experience on both occasions?

DB:  We have been very fortunate to have had the support of FrightFest. So many other opportunities opened up to us as a result. It really did seem, we were all of a sudden taken very seriously by other film festivals from around the world and at home. This in turn has led to distribution in all sorts of territories and gaining distribution from the fantastic Metrodome in the UK . I’ve also made life long friendships at FrightFest. I met the best people and watched the best films.

Q: Are you planning another feature film soon? If you are, what can you tell us about it?

DB: We are in pre-production on our next feature, “Deleted”. It’s a violent, female revenge drama which starts shooting on March/April.

Q: Ever thought of turning EMMERDALE into a horror film?

DB: I’d love to do a one-off late night special with zombies running amok through the village.

Q: Do you eventually want to move away from television acting and focus full-time on directing feature films?

DB: NO!!! I want to stay at Emmerdale. I love the job, I love the people and I really love playing the character of Paddy. I think it’s possible to make a feature every two or three years with a short in between without any adverse negative effects on the show. I don’t want to do anything by half.

Q: BEFORE DAWN is receiving its UK TV premiere on Horror Channel. You must be pleased.

DB: We’re over the moon. We can’t wait. Obviously I’ve seen it hundreds of times with various edits and dubs but to turn the telly on and watch the film we all slaved over for two years is going to be emotional. There have been many highlights to Before Dawn including festivals, holding the official DVD box for the first time, seeing it in on sale in the local supermarket, seeing a Japanese poster for the film but showing on Sky Horror Channel will be a real benchmark in how far we’ve come.  I’ll be there with my hot chocolate.

Q: What are your top three favourite horror films?

DB: Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Demon, Evil Dead

Q: And finally, have you got a real-life horror story you can tell us?

DB: There are loads of really terrible things that we all go through in life, like losing someone you love or a truly eye watering tax bill but I love submerging myself in a fantasy and using film as an escape. Being told a good story whether it be horror or any genre is the reason I keep watching films. Watching other people go through all the drama is a great way of drawing your attention away from the fears of just being alive.

Dominic Brunt, thanks you very much

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

The Walking Dead 4x06 Promo "Live Bait" (HD)

The Walking Dead 4x06 "Live Bait" - Group members struggle to find their humanity while being constantly threatened.

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

Making Of The Walking Dead 4x05 "Internment"

The Walking Dead 4x05 "Internment" - As more people succumb to the infection, Rick recruits Carl to help defend the prison.

The Walking Dead 4x05 Promos "Internment" (HD)

The Walking Dead 4x05 "Internment" - Assorted enemies pressure Rick and the group; the survivors and the prison may reach a breaking point.

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

Making Of The Walking Dead 4x04 "Indifference"

The cast and crew take you behind the scenes of the making of the kudzu scene in The Walking Dead 4x04 "Indifference".

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

Interview with Jeff Strand - By David Kempf

Jeff Strand was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but moved to Fairbanks, Alaska when he was six months old, so his memories of Baltimore are hazy. He grew up in the cold, where he desperately wanted to be a cartoonist. Then he wanted to make video games. Then he wanted to write movies. Actually, he still wants to do all of those things, but for now he's quite happy writing lots of demented novels.

He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. His novel PRESSURE has been optioned for film; he's hoping the movie will be made soon so he can scream "My baby! What have you done to my precious baby?!?"

His novels are usually classified as horror, but they're really all over the place, from comedies to thrillers to drama to, yes, even a fairy tale.

Because he doesn't do cold weather anymore, he lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two cats.


Tell us how you became involved in horror fiction.

I'd written some (very bad) horror fiction in high school and college that was never published, but then I focused entirely on comedy for a few books. The last of those was Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), which was supposed to be a lighthearted comedic mystery romp, but very quickly turned into the kind of book where an insane guy ripped his own eyeballs out. For some reason, this kind of scene made readers classify the book as "horror." Shortly after that, I decided that I wanted to focus on a specific niche, and so I became a comedic horror guy!

How many horror stories (or novels) have you written?

Fifteen horror novels, five novellas, and eighty-five short stories. Plus some non-horror novels and various bits and pieces of other stuff.


Tell us about your work with J.A. Konrath.

Joe and I wrote the novella Suckers together, which brought my Andrew Mayhem character and his Harry McGlade character together to see who was the most incompetent. We also co-wrote the novel Draculas with F. Paul Wilson and Blake Crouch. A lot of people say "Hey, [Insert Author Here] writes just like you!" and I never agree with them, but when my friend Michele Bardsley said that JA Konrath's style reminded her of mine, I read Whiskey Sour and thought, wow, she's right! Suckers II and Draculas II are both in the discussion stages, so lock up your children.


Please tell us what it was like to learn your craft when you were younger. 

I learned to write via the process of writing lots and lots and lots and lots of terrible stuff, and then lots and lots and lots of less-terrible stuff, and then lots and lots and lots of not-bad stuff, and then, ultimately, writing good stuff. I was a Creative Writing major in college, but quite honestly, developing my skills as a writer was almost entirely based on practice, practice, practice.


Did you enjoy reading shocking and terrifying stories when you were growing up?

No. Not at all. I was a total wuss. I didn't get into horror fiction until I was in high school, though once I did get into it, I read almost nothing else! It's only been within the past few years that I've made a conscious attempt to read outside of the genre.


How sick are you of writng about Andrew Mayhem? (although it has been a great commercial and critical success). 

Not at all! It helps that the third Mayhem novel was published in 2004, and the fourth was published in 2012, so it's not like I'm anywhere close to burning myself out on the character. He'll almost certainly return for a fifth novel, though George and Lou (from Wolf Hunt) will be returning before him. I'm not at all opposed to sequels, but I'm usually more inclined to write about new characters than return to the old ones.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?

Wow, that's a tough one. I don't think there's any one thing that I'd point to and say "Yes! This is my masterpiece! This is what defines me!" However, if I had to erase everything I've created from existence except for a single piece of work, after I stopped sobbing and begging I'd probably spare Dweller.


I would be a Philistine if I didn’t ask this. How did it feel to be Master of Ceremonies at the Stoker Awards?

Despite my stomach-churning nervousness each time (and I've done it five times), I love it. It's a lot of work because I take it very seriously and make sure I'm thoroughly prepared...even if, every year, there are a bunch of frantic last minute changes while I'm sitting there, feeling sick, unable to eat my banquet dinner. I don't know yet if I'll be doing it next year, or if they can get Neil Patrick Harris or David Letterman.


How close are you to getting a movie option?

The only active movie option right now is for my novel Pressure, which has been in development for about four years. There have been nibbles on others, but nothing came of them. I encourage any deranged billionaires reading this to e-mail me an offer.


Name some of your favorite horror books. 

Swan Song by Robert McCammon, It by Stephen King, Nightworld by F. Paul Wilson, Watchers by Dean Koontz, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, and In The Dark by Richard Laymon.


Name some of your favorite horror films.

Shaun of the Dead, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Return of the Living Dead, May, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, the 80's remake of The Blob, Scream 1 and 2, and Tremors.


Why do you think horror films and books remain popular?

I'm not good at analyzing the psychological and sociological aspects of these kinds of things, so I'll just say that the horror genre has an extremely loyal core fan base that sustains it through the lean periods.


What are your latest projects?

I've got a new YA novel coming out called I Have A Bad Feeling About This, although that one is an action/comedy with no horror elements. And I'm just about to finish up a novel that...well, that one isn't horror, either. However, after that: Wolf Hunt 2, baby!


How would you describe yourself in one paragraph?

Jeff Strand writes horror/comedy novels. Sometimes they are ridiculous, like A Bad Day For Voodoo and Fangboy. Sometimes they are ridiculous and really gross, like Benjamin's Parasite. Sometimes they're a true mix of humor and horror, like Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), Wolf Hunt, and Mandibles. And sometimes they're "serious" novels that just have a lot of comic relief, like Pressure and Dweller. Jeff Strand, in his own words, believes that you should read all of them.

http://jeffstrand.wordpress.com

Dracula 1x03 Promo "Goblin Merchant Men" (HD)

Dracula 1x03 "Goblin Merchant Men" - Grayson seeks to determine whether Lady Jayne is a vampire hunter for the Order of the Dragon. Lucy mends Mina's broken heart with absinthe, romance and a whirlwind tour of Bohemian London. Grayson's machinations claim the life of Lord Laurent and earn him a powerful new enemy. Subscribe to tvpromosdb on YouTube for more Dracula season 1 promos in HD!

Official website: http://www.nbc.com/dracula/
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NBCDracula/
Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/NBCDracula/

Raisinman - Skaters in Perish (Skategore)

As a special Halloween treat, we have a great music video for you, a brand new genre called Skategore!

"Skaters in Perish" is a parody of "N*ggas in Paris" by Jay Z and Kanye West and features cameos by Mike York and Sebo Walker, along with skateboarding by Adam Keely, Yoni Benjamin, and of course the Raisinman himself, among other fine talent.

It also contains gore, blood, and other graphic imagery, so watch at your own risk



If you enjoyed this you check out www.youtube.com/kingraisin

Lyrics:
So I fall so hard that skaters think I'm dying,
But that means I'm really trying,
What's 50 slams to a skateboarder like me?
I'm death defying!
Fall so hard, my sh*t's aching,
While y'all just skate like big babies,
My board could go out of my control,
But I still try to land like I made it,
Fall so hard on a big spear,
At least it didn't hit me rear,
Fall so hard, won't see tears,
But how am I supposed to leave here?
Alright though, just a light hole,
So I might go break the stick,
Snap it off so I can tre this!
Fall so hard, but I won't stop,
Rolled ankles get walked off,
Amateurs ain't losin blood?
Well, I ain't wearin red socks!
Fall so hard I cough a tooth,
When I fall I get chalked up too,
If you skate like I skate,
Then you're probably gettin f*cked up too!
Fall so hard, let's hit pavement,
Get gory, not a bit phased,
It's full throttle at obstacles,
About to hit up the big eight,
Fall so hard, I eat face,
Might just need it replaced,
Beat down meatloaf,
Grab your helmet and be safe!

Fall so hard that skaters think I'm dying,
My sh*t breaks, my shit breaks,
My sh*t breaks,
Fall so hard that skaters think I'm dying,
My sh*t breaks, My sh*t breaks,
My sh*t breaks...

I sack on a rail and slide down it all,
But I don't need no ice to nurse my swollen balls,
I'll go and eat sh*t on a backside stall,
The only real way to learn you have to fall!
Fall so hard, my sh*t breaks,
Ain't it great?
Fall so hard, what we skatin?
Active grenades?
Fall so hard, my lip's so cold,
I'm feelin faint,
Act like I'm gonna go to the hospital and not go skate!
Cruiser boards ain't my thang,
They don't let my bangers bang,
I ain't tryin to take a nap,
That's a fact!
Neen Williams is doin fine if you ask me,
I'm gonna go to the same spot and try a back three!
Does this look infected?
I'm still gonna sesh it,
I won't wear a helmet,
Cuz you know that ain't wreckless!
Skaters turn into filmers
Cuz they're afraid of spillin,
Got these skaters embarrassed
That I'm still out here killin!
Heh???

I am now holdin my dome,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
These other skaters are tired,
Actin like they're all retired,
I got that hot sh*t on my bolts,
Know how many boards kingraisin owns?
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
I'm jumpin off of buildings,
My shit is never healin,
I don't need ibuprofen,
You know I like the feelin!
I am now holdin my dome,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
Don't let me skate in the bowl,
I'm definitely skatin the bowl!

The Walking Dead 4x04 Sneak Peeks "Indifference" (HD)

The Walking Dead 4x04 "Indifference" - The supply mission faces hurdles; the situation at the prison worsens!

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

Behind the scenes of The Walking Dead 4x03 "Isolation"

The Walking Dead 4x03 "Isolation" - The group struggles to cope with the spread of the infection within the prison.

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

Get Your Halloween #Dramaface on to Win a year’s supply of chocolate!

Freesat have created a site dedicated to sharing reactions to the best TV moments – they’ve called it #dramaface.

To celebrate Halloween and the launch of #Dramaface, they are offering you the chance to win a year’s supply of chocolate.

To enter, simply upload your spooky selfie to help celebrate Halloween TV this weekend.

Whether you’re squirming at a scary film, or dressing up for X Factor, share your scariest #dramaface.

One lucky winner will receive a year’s supply of chocolate!
www.dramaface.co.uk

I have uploaded my face which is also below! Please click on the little heart on the Dramaface site on my image.

Interview With Director Brian Yuzna

Brian Yuzna (pictured left) is one of the world’s most prolific and respected genre film-makers and on the eve of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 receiving its network TV premiere on the Horror Channel, Yuzna gives us some insight into the making of the film, news on the SOCIETY sequel and why he thinks Horror has gone too mainstream.

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 is broadcast on Saturday Nov 2, 10.40pm.


Q: Did you know from a young age that you wanted to work in the movie industry?

BY: No, I didn’t.  Like most kids, I loved movies; and I saw some scary ones at a young age that really disturbed me.  That gave me an interest in horror for the rest of my life.  But I never imagined that you could actually make a living making movies.  Back then there were no dvd extras and tv shows demonstrating how movies were made. While in high school I had fooled around with a friend’s 8 mm camera and we mostly shot special effects but it wasn’t until I saw Truffaut’s Day For Night that I had an idea of how a movie crew worked.  Many years later I was vacationing with my girl friend and we rode past a big encampment outside of Cartagena , Columbia and I recognized that it was a film shoot.  

That evening we left our modest quarters and were eating at a restaurant on the beach when a couple of jeeps drove up with the rowdy actors etc from the shoot.  As they drank and ate and partied I realized that I was on vacation and they were on a job – but they were having more fun than I was.  That’s when I thought maybe making movies was a desirable job!  Cut to a few years later when I was working as an artist and had an art supply store.  I acquired a 16mm Bolex wind up camera and started making a short film – a short film full of fx that turned into a feature.  Although I never took a film class, I learned how to make a movie just by doing it with people who did know how.  The process fascinated me - it was exciting and satisfying.  The movie I made was pretty bad, but I was hooked.  I moved to Los Angeles to make movies.

Q: How did the Return Of The Living Dead III project come together?

BY: Joel Castelberg and Danica Minor contacted me about directing Return 3 – they said they had the rights and thought that I would be a good collaborator.  I was thrilled because I loved both Return of the Living Dead as well as Night of the Living Dead.  In order to set it apart from the plethora of zombie movies that had been made (even back then!) I decided that a zombie should be the main character.  They found a company to finance it and we began listening to pitches from potential screenwriters.  However, when the time came to formalize a deal it turns out that Joel and Danica’s agent was wrong about the rights being in their control – so it all fell apart.  Soon after I mentioned this to Mark Amin, the ceo of Trimark Pictures, and somehow he acquired the rights and offered me the job of directing and producing.  Again, the process of interviewing writers began, but this time it was Trimark who lined them up.  When I met John Penney and heard his pitch, I was immediately sold.  He was the guy.

Q: What did you think of the script the first time you read it?

BY: There never was a first time that I read the script.  John had a ‘pitch’, which was a basic ‘take’ on the movie.  His idea had to do with kids on the run, kind of a Romeo and Juliet, in a world in which the military is experimenting with the living dead as weapons.  I don’t remember exactly the details, but my obsession with having the main character be a zombie fit right into that.  The next step was for John to write a ‘treatment’ to base the screenplay on.  John and I brainstormed the ideas and John organized them into characters and a story.  Then the Trimark development folks would review it.  By the time we got to the screenplay John and I were collaborating very effectively.  John was seamlessly able to satisfy his storytelling ideas as well as mine – and Trimark’s as well.  In fact, for the only time in my moviemaking experience, I had the screenwriter (and co-producer) on the set with me throughout the shoot.  During pre-production John Penney was there to rewrite the script according to the cast, the locations that we found and the ideas that came up with the storyboard artists and fx artists.  So during the filming we were literally shooting the script.

Q: Was it a difficult movie to cast?

BY: It wasn’t a difficult movie to cast because of the support of Trimark.  I feel like they were able to access excellent options for each of the roles.  They were very involved with the casting and fortunately we seemed to be very much on the same page as them regarding the casting ideas.  Trimark had strong ideas about the casting, but never did I feel like I was obliged to accept an actor that wasn’t my choice.  They really were good to work with.  The biggest role of course was Julie – and we were all pretty blown away by Mindy Clarke.  But Trimark was most helpful, I think, with the secondary roles for which they brought in really quality talent.  It is really great that the cast, in my opinion, is uniformly good.

Q: How much of the budget went on special effects?

BY: Not that much – but working with my producing partner Gary Schmoeller (to whom is due a great deal of the credit for the success of the movie) we used an approach for producing the effects that had worked well for us in the past.  Typically fx horror films of that era would hire one fx company to produce all of the fx – the theory being that by giving them all of the fx budget they would be able to dedicate more of there time to your production.  Our approach was the opposite – with limited funds it is better to break the fx down into categories and hire various companies with different strengths.  This meant hiring an fx supervisor (Tom Rainone in this case) to find the appropriate fx artists, make the deals and supervise the work.  Paying a top fx artist for a key fx makes sense – paying the same artist to create background zombies may not be cost effective – a newer fx company might put extra effort into the effect in order to show there stuff.  Some fx artists are experts in prosthetics and others in mechanical devices.  We tried to get the most bang out of our fx budget.

Q: Was it a difficult shoot?

BY: It was a difficult shoot in that we were trying to make a bigger and better movie than we were budgeted for (we always aim higher than our budget).  But the shoot was so well organized (kudos again to Gary Schmoeller), and Trimark were so supportive, and our Director of Photography (Gerry Lively) was so tirelessly resourceful that everything went more or less according to plan.  It was very hard, exhausting work – but the whole crew seemed to be pulling in the same direction, so I really would not categorize it as a ‘difficult’ shoot.

Q: Why do you think the film has built up such a loyal following?

BY: Because it is a really good zombie movie.  I say that as someone who has made a lot of horror movies that I wouldn’t characterize as ‘really good’.  Return 3 has a good clear story and satisfying horror.  Mainly what sets it apart in my book is the love story at the center of it all.  I think it is very romantic, you really feel for Julie and sympathize with Curt’s determination to not let go of her.  I feel like it is a goth romance, a heavy metal tragedy, a young love in a corrupt world.  As a life long horror fan I think that Return 3 holds up as an example of good ‘90s horror.

Q: Horror Channel has also shown films from The Dentist and Re-Animator series of movies, do you think its times these characters came back?

BY: Yes, I do.  Corbin Bernson has tried to get the rights to do a third Dentist – he loves playing that character.  And it would be good see Jeffrey Combs get out the re-animating syringe one more time.  And I have been asked many times about a Re-Animator re-boot.  Problem is, as always, financing.  The business has changed considerably due to the digital revolution.  There just aren’t many Trimarks out there any more.

Q: Have you ever been tempted to make a follow up to your astonishingly original shocker, Society?

BY: I am actively working on it.  Once again it is all about the financing.  My idea for a sequel is to have it take place in these super exclusive late night clubs that they have in Hollywood .  Once you get in there is always a VIP room or a VVIP room that is off limits…

Q: What state do you think the horror movie industry is in at the moment? A victim of its own success, perhaps? 

BY: Horror has become so mainstream that it seems to have mostly lost that transgressive creativity that used to make it so exhilarating. Now that Zombie movies have hit the mainstream (the modern equivalent of the ‘Western’?) they have mostly lost the element of the macabre, the disturbing sense of dead things coming wrongly to life, and are now mainly action films about disease and overpopulation.  Vampires are more romantic than horrific.  And extreme violence is the norm almost as an end in itself.  I think that we are at the end of a cycle and that a new kind of horror will grow out of the new production and distribution digital technologies.  We seem to have reached the limit of what the screenplay structure formulas (popularized especially by Syd Field) of the last decades can give us.

Whereas these ideas began as a way to identify the structure of successful movies and learn from them, they have inevitably led to a be treated as a set of rules to follow, rules that can lead to a sameness in screenplay structure that makes you feel like you know what is coming in a film from the early scenes.  The horror genre has a relatively rigorous structure and it may be time for new filmmakers to develop it into more effective directions.  One of the most interesting horror films for me recently was Cabin in the Woods.  It wasn’t very scary, but the way it deconstructed the horror tropes made me think that after that you just cannot make a teenagers in the woods movie again.  The times dictate our fears, and these times are definitely very different from the last few decades.  I am waiting for the new classics to emerge – horror with the effectiveness and artistry of Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, The Exorcist, The Shining – and the devastating impact of Night of the Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Q: You’re a multi talented person but are you happiest directing, directing or writing?

BY: I am happiest when I am giving form to something I have imagined.  It is the most exhilarating to direct – but if the director is doing stuff that surprises and delights you it is fantastic to produce.  Writing is the fun of brainstorming the original ideas.  When you produce you can stay with the movie for a long time after everyone else is gone. And with producing you can get so many more movies made.  I love collaborating and am happy to take whatever role is available as long as I feel like I am a real member of the creative and organizational team.

Q: So what projects are you working on at the moment?

I am working on the sequels we mentioned above – but also have very interesting multi platform project with John Penney called The Pope.

Brian Yuzna, thank you very much.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

Dracula 1x02 Promo "A Whiff of Sulphur" (HD) / This Season on Dracula

Dracula 1x02 "A Whiff of Sulphur" - Grayson takes Lady Jayne as a lover even as he investigates her lethal connections to The Order of the Dragon. Grayson helps Mina face a critical challenge at medical school. Van Helsing continues his quest to develop a solar vaccine to enable Grayson to conquer sunlight. Jonathan Harker strikes a devil's bargain with Grayson which has unexpected consequences.

Official website: http://www.nbc.com/dracula/
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NBCDracula/
Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/NBCDracula/

Interview With Lily Rabe - American Horror Story Asylum

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM
Lily Rabe (‘Sister Mary Eunice McKee’)


Q: I'm very Catholic and this show scares the crap out of me.  How was the show first presented to you?

A: When Ryan called me up I was doing a play in New York and I remember I was sitting in my dressing room before a show, he called to tell me about the new season and the part that he wanted me to play.  I said yes before I knew much at all because getting to work with Ryan is something I say yes to.  I trust him.  So I didn't know that much.  I knew a bit about the character I'd be playing and I knew the time period and I knew it would be in an asylum and I knew what Jessica was playing.  But the information came in in bits.

Q:  What is it about this particular show that has galvanized audiences the way that it has?

A: Well, that's part of it, it's not like anything else on television.  What Ryan does with all of his shows, which are so incredibly different from one another, it's just amazing that these three different shows that are on the air right now are born out of the same brain and are so incredibly different.  What they all -- they're all very original, very brave and each universe that he creates the show is its own universe. So for an audience member at least for me watching his shows, to get to sort of step into that world that is so specific to the show is I think very appealing.  And can appeal to so many different, that's why there's so many, it's not just for targeted age groups, there's vast mass of appeal to his shows I think.

Q: For an actor, what is the best part about living in a world that's so grey?

A: Wow, that is where everything happens isn't it, in the grey.  I feel that that's sort of where, certainly where we are today.  As an actor because it's true, and for my character so much is in the middle because so much is happening to her and so it's not black or white.  Is it this Mary Eunice or that Mary Eunice?  All of it is living inside of her and is very complicated way.  And for all of the characters you know we are all -- he writes and creates and his writers create such multidimensional characters.  No one is ever stuck sort of with a caricature.  That grayness is a good place to go to work everyday.

Q: Would you say that insanity is overrated?  Do embrace the responsibility wholeheartedly?  Do you ever question some of the motivation of the characters?

A: No, I don't question them because that wouldn't help me while I'm playing the part you know.  It's bad when you step into that, for me anyway, no, I would find no value in sort of being resistant or questioning what's happening in the world of the show or what's happening for my character.  It's much more fun.   I'd rather just jump out of the plane and then know that my parachute is going to be there.  Too much trepidation with my work.  I can only speak for myself, it has never made me as happy as when I just jump in.  So that's what I'm doing.

Q: How do you decompress at the end of the day?

A: I do love a cheeseburger but sleep is a good thing.  We work long hours.  I think we all like to just try and sleep when we can.  Then you do the things that you do in your life that you know feel like you are living your life outside of work.  She's on my mind 24/7 right now, that's for sure.

Dracula "Seal the Deal" Promo (HD)

The legend is reborn. Dracula premieres Friday, October 25 at 10/9c on NBC.

Official website: http://www.nbc.com/dracula/
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NBCDracula/
Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/NBCDracula/

The Walking Dead 4x03 Promos "Isolation"

The Walking Dead 4x03 "Isolation" - A group leaves the prison to search for supplies; the remaining members of the group deal with recent losses.

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

(Spoilers) Making Of The Walking Dead 4x02 "Infected"

The cast and crew take you behind the scenes of the massacre within the prison in this making of The Walking Dead 4x02 "Infected".

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WalkingDead_AMC/

Interview With Joseph Fiennes (‘Monsignor Timothy Howard’) - American Horror Story: Asylum

Q: How do you find this particular voice for this character that you play?

A: He's a fun character as are all the characters in American Horror Story.  The monsignor, just the name itself has this sort of regality to it.  He's been brought in probably by the diocese to run this new asylum and sister Jude in charge.  So the man is wonderfully versed in theology and church and I imagine is very well educated, possibly University. Ultimately he's very ambitious.  He studies a lot.  I also think that he is a moderate voice of the church.  Around that time in the 60s it may even have been a movement called the Vatican II, which was the whole idea of challenging the Vatican and really getting it to modernize itself with its attitudes towards the people of that time in the modern age.  That still continues today.  He's a man that both is intelligent but also manages to think outside of the dogma and the theological box of the Catholic Church.

Q:  Why is it an interesting juxtaposition to see a show that's set in the 60s because we have this fuzzy nostalgic view of that decade?  Does it apply to we are today?

A: It depends who you ask, those who were born in the 30s, 40s, that lived through the 60s and their sort of adolescence and adulthood, would obviously have a very different point of view.  Of course from the 50s to the 60s a huge explosion with music, the Beatles, the Stones and a great escape from the repression.  Those characters that are of a particular age within American Horror Story in the 60s would've been children of the 30s and 40s and would have been brought up with a pretty strict regime certainly in Europe.

And certainly in North America.  What's brilliantly creepy about the show is the fact that this wasn't so far away.  This wasn't so many years ago that people have such a particular rule and answer to the crimes that someone committed, whether it was just stealing or something worse or just someone who was not mental but possibly just a bit passionate or outspoken.  Then of course someone who was gay and how that was viewed at that time.

We've come a long way but maybe that's just in North America.  I'm sure there are other pockets of the world we live in a culture deeply repressed.  The great thing about the Internet is that people can at least log on and hold hands with like-minded people or democratically minded people.  But I don't think we should forget that, I think those horrors, in their own way, in a modern world, may still continue.  We all know that and I think we all know that somehow the greater powers -- we're so close.  Whether we're liberal we might believe we are in a police state or something.

Very quickly you can be on the wrong side of the law or very quickly you can hit a moment of madness and so I guess it's all about perception.  It's very different today than then but I don't think it was so far away and I do think there are pockets in which have characters like that that have authority figures that are in charge.  What's wonderful about Jessica Lange's portrayal is that she is someone who is on a righteous course and is doing it for the sanctity of others but in a very brutal way.  That goes on today in all walks of sort of authority.

Q: This is a show that lives in a very grave moral zone.  The show pushes the boundaries of what mainstream television should talk about.  Do you find that it has a very interesting morality as a result?

A: First and foremost, this is great exhilarating entertainment.  It plays with all those wonderful themes of horrors and it takes all the great sort of juicy films in our repertoire with the Shining, Psycho, Hannibal Lecter.  There's all sort of borrowed components and references so it's wonderfully exciting for that genre.  It is creepy and because there is a connection to these characters that are fallible.  That is the main draw over and above the horror.

The great connectedness is that they contradict themselves.  They're full of contradictions as we discussed earlier.  No one is who they seem to be in that kind of who we are and we're always trying to find our real selves and we wear masks and we pull it off.  And I think there's, to the greater extreme, that's what's taking place here whether it's people within authority or within the mental institution itself you know.  What I love about this show is its meditation on sanity and those who are locked up are probably more sane than those running the asylum.

That's a lovely kind of juxtaposition.  But ultimately within the extreme these people are real.  The only person for me who really is an out and out monster is Dr. Arden.  I find him really very scary, a child of a brutal regime and his sort of brainwashed and I kind of can't really see if he's got any moral center at all.  I find that particularly scary.  But really what I find scary is those who do have moral centers and veer off to their great cost.

Q: You're bloody face, aren't you?

A: This is now terminated.



American Horror Story - Season 2 (Asylum) on DVD on October 21st

Film News ( UK ): Horror Channel celebrates British horror classics with a Brit-cult season

Plus UK TV premiere for Dominic Brunt’s zombie love story BEFORE DAWN

 

November on Horror Channel sees network premieres for a memorable collection of strange cult oddities and forgotten British horror classics, kicking off with the network premiere of Nicolas Roeg’s THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, starring David Bowie. Joining Bowie in the realm of the weird and wonderful is Roy Boulting’s psychological ground-breaker TWISTED NERVE, Michael Powell’s controversial PEEPING TOM, Robert Fuest’s Hitchcockian AND SOON THE DARKNESS and Jimmy Sangster’s Hammer classic FEAR IN THE NIGHT.

 

Also, there are UK TV premieres for Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt’s directorial feature film debut BEFORE DAWN, Lulu Jarmen’s disturbing BAD MEAT and Padraig Reynold’s festival favourite RITES OF SPRING.

 

Line up:

 

Fri 1 Nov @ 22:55 – THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1976)

Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this cult classic stars David Bowies (in his debut film role), as an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought. It also stars Candy Clark, and Hollywood veteran Rip Torn and is produced by Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, who reunited for work on another epic, The Deer Hunter.

 

Fri 7 Nov @ 22:55 – AND SOON THE DARKNESS (1970)

Starring Pamela Franklin and Michele Dotrice this on the edge of your seat thriller, tells the story of two young English women on a cycling holiday in the French countryside. Cathy, distracted by a local man, parts company with Jane. When her friend fails to rejoin her, Jane returns to the last place she saw her. Cathy has vanished. Alone and with a limited knowledge of French, Jane frantically searches for her missing friend.

 

Fri 15 Nov @ 22: 55 – TWISTED NERVE (1968)

Director Roy Boulting brings out the best in actor Hywel Bennett, who plays Martin, a disturbed young man with a dysfunctional mother and a cold-hearted step-father. Martin, pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be mentally retarded to be near Susan (played by Hayley Mills), a girl he has become infatuated with, killing those who get in his way. But when Susan rejects him, she becomes the next target.

Fri 22 Nov @ 22:55 – PEEPING TOM (1960)   

Peeping Tom stars Carl Boehm as Mark Lewis a part-time photographer who is a serial killer, murdering women while using a portable movie camera to record their dying expressions of terror. The film's controversial subject and the harsh reception by critics effectively destroyed Michael Powell's career as a director in the UK . However, it attracts a cult following and is now considered a masterpiece.

 

Fri 29 Nov @ 22:55 – FEAR IN THE NIGHT (1972)

This psychological horror thriller follows a young woman (Judy Geeson), recovering from a nervous breakdown, who takes up a new position working in a boys' boarding school. She soon begins to believe she is losing her mind when she starts being terrorised by a one-armed man. Directed by Jimmy Sangster and produced by Hammer Film Productions, it also stars Joan Collins, Ralph Bates and Peter Cushing.

 

 

Wed 6 Nov @ 22:55 – RITES OF SPRING (2011) * UK TV premiere

After kidnapping the nine-year-old daughter of a wealthy socialite and hiding out in an abandoned school, a group of kidnappers falls prey to a recurring terror, a bloodlust that comes every first day of spring. Part kidnap heist, part slasher movie, this is director Padraig Reynolds’s feature film debut, which scored highly on the festival circuit. It stars AJ Bowen, Anessa Ramsey, Sonny Marinelli and Katherine Randolf.

 

Wed 20 Nov @ 22:55 – BAD MEAT (2011) ** UK TV premiere**

In Canadian director Lulu Jarmen’s splatter sensation, a boot camp for troubled teens becomes a nightmarish charnel house when spoiled meat transforms the staff from sadistic fascists into something much, worse. Get ready for spilt blood, vomit, faeces and bile – in the strangest, weirdest destined-for-cult-dom in ages. Stars Elizabeth Harnois, Dave Franco, Mark Pellegrino, & Jessica Parker Kennedy

 

Sat 23 Nov @ 22:55 – BEFORE DAWN (2012) * UK TV premiere

Dominic Brunt, better known as veterinarian Paddy Kirk in ‘Emmerdale’, has written and directed a terrific zom-rom horror. Alex (Dominic Brunt) and Meg (Joanne Mitchell) go for a weekend in the Yorkshire countryside in an effort to save their relationship. Unfortunately the picturesque holiday area chosen comes under attack from the walking dead and Meg is soon going to find out the depth of Alex’s love.

 

Plus there are network premiers for Brian Yuzna’s RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 (1993), Sat 2 Nov, 22:40; David Lynch’s MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001), Sat 9 Nov, 22:55; Jonathan Levine’s ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (2006), Sat 16 Nov, 22:55 and Greg McClean’s WOLF CREEK (2005), Sat 30 Nov, 22:50.

 

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138

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